Govt to showcase development schemes at Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas conclave

New Delhi, Jan. 3 -- India will showcase its flagship national development programmes as well as economic reforms aimed at increasing investment flows into the country at the three-day Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (PBD) conclave for overseas Indians, senior government officials said on Monday.
Dnyaneshwar M. Mulay, secretary in the Indian foreign ministry in charge of overseas Indian affairs told a press conference that programmes like Clean Ganga and Skill India besides steps taken to ease the investment climate in the country such as raising the investment caps in sectors like defence and railways will be highlighted at the event to be hosted in Bengaluru.
Some 4,000 delegates from countries such as Qatar, Malaysia and Mauritius will be attending the event that is expected to be addressed by prime minister Narendra Modi and president Pranab Mukherjee.
However, it was unclear whether residents of Gilgit Baltistan would be attending the event. India considers areas of Kashmir under Pakistan occupation including the regions of Gilgit and Baltistan, as an integral part of its territory. Given its current tensions with Pakistan-which claims all of Kashmir as its territory-speculation is rife that India could give the go-ahead for people from the region to attend the PBD events.
Dignitaries of Indian origin attending the event include Michael Ashwin Satyandre Adhin, the vice president of Suriname and Antonio Costa, prime minister of Portugal. Costa, a former popular mayor of Lisbon, was appointed prime minister in November. Costa is expected to visit his native state of Goa after attending the PBD events in Bengaluru.
Also in attendance will be the chief ministers of eight Indian states, including Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah.
PBD is celebrated on 9 January every year to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community in the development of India. Launched in 2003, the annual event is held on 9 January as it is on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa to lead India's freedom struggle.